Baseball: Verona Senior American Legion squad lacks time to practice

Verona's Luke Connell races home to cover the plate while a Vailsburg runner slides in during a game between the two squads July 7.

Once the short 20-game season is up and running, there is no chance to practice. It's either a game day, or a rain day.

This lack of repetition was apparent Monday night, when the Verona Hillbillies hosted Vailsburg.

While physical fielding errors are bound to happen, it's mental errors that can drive a coach and teammates crazy.

Against Vailsburg, the Hillbillies had their fair share of both, this time in a 9-0 loss..

"Unfortunately there are situations that occur that we don't have the time to go over in practice, so the repetition isn't there," Head Coach John Torchia said.

The coach said he encourages his players to communicate on the field, and not only anticipate how they will make the out, but also what happens next.

One example of this was when Vailsburg laid down a bunt to advance a runner from first to second.

While the throw was made to get the batter out, the baserunner rounded second and headed to third, reaching safely as the Verona defense was a step too slow in its reaction.

"When we face a team like this ... it shows shortcomings," the coach said.

Mental and physical mistakes were the biggest problems again for Verona, as the Hillbillies struggled to get out of the fourth inning, giving up seven runs, most of them unearned.

"Today it was the typical reoccurrence of a theme that we've been preaching all year, which is to try and avoid that one big inning," Torchia said. "Before the game, we spoke about the likelihood that we would not be competing in a 8-7 game, but that we could compete in a 3-2 game if we played solid defense. And we didn't."

Verona also struggled at the plate, picking up only two hits against two hard-throwing Vailsburg pitchers.

Tommy DeNicola had a single in the first inning, and Noah Chait had a double in the second inning.

The only other runners to reach base safely were Paul Chanley and Zach Skrivanic, both doing so on walks.

The defeat dropped Verona to 5-10 on the season, and all but officially eliminated the Hillbillies from playoff contention.

Torchia said the team does not look at the standings, instead focusing on each game and the improvement that can come from it.

"If a playoff position fell on us, that would be a bonus," he said.

Instead, the focus is on getting better and preparing themselves for next spring.

The squad only has a player or two who were regulars on this spring's varsity squad, but with eight seniors gone, there will be spots to be had in 2015.

For now, the team is just looking to finish the summer strong. There are only four games left on the schedule.

Baseball: Verona Senior American Legion squad lacks time to practice

Verona's Luke Connell races home to cover the plate while a Vailsburg runner slides in during a game between the two squads July 7.

Once the short 20-game season is up and running, there is no chance to practice. It's either a game day, or a rain day.

This lack of repetition was apparent Monday night, when the Verona Hillbillies hosted Vailsburg.

While physical fielding errors are bound to happen, it's mental errors that can drive a coach and teammates crazy.

Against Vailsburg, the Hillbillies had their fair share of both, this time in a 9-0 loss..

"Unfortunately there are situations that occur that we don't have the time to go over in practice, so the repetition isn't there," Head Coach John Torchia said.

The coach said he encourages his players to communicate on the field, and not only anticipate how they will make the out, but also what happens next.

One example of this was when Vailsburg laid down a bunt to advance a runner from first to second.

While the throw was made to get the batter out, the baserunner rounded second and headed to third, reaching safely as the Verona defense was a step too slow in its reaction.

"When we face a team like this ... it shows shortcomings," the coach said.

Mental and physical mistakes were the biggest problems again for Verona, as the Hillbillies struggled to get out of the fourth inning, giving up seven runs, most of them unearned.

"Today it was the typical reoccurrence of a theme that we've been preaching all year, which is to try and avoid that one big inning," Torchia said. "Before the game, we spoke about the likelihood that we would not be competing in a 8-7 game, but that we could compete in a 3-2 game if we played solid defense. And we didn't."

Verona also struggled at the plate, picking up only two hits against two hard-throwing Vailsburg pitchers.

Tommy DeNicola had a single in the first inning, and Noah Chait had a double in the second inning.

The only other runners to reach base safely were Paul Chanley and Zach Skrivanic, both doing so on walks.

The defeat dropped Verona to 5-10 on the season, and all but officially eliminated the Hillbillies from playoff contention.

Torchia said the team does not look at the standings, instead focusing on each game and the improvement that can come from it.

"If a playoff position fell on us, that would be a bonus," he said.

Instead, the focus is on getting better and preparing themselves for next spring.

The squad only has a player or two who were regulars on this spring's varsity squad, but with eight seniors gone, there will be spots to be had in 2015.

For now, the team is just looking to finish the summer strong. There are only four games left on the schedule.